The old bastard left his ties and a suit...

I am not a violent person. I think I have struck maybe 3 people out of anger in my life. Which, for a boy who drinks, is probably a fairly good record.

Today, I felt like pounding someone's face in. I was actually standing in front of them and the only thought going through my head was an image of me cracking them in the face. I don't think I have been that angry in years. I remember thinking to myself, "Calm down. Do not raise your arm. Do not make a fist". If you ever think this and feel like you actively have to send these thoughts to your muscles, you know you are angry.

And it all had to do with dealings I have had with the provincial government.

In my line of work, to vent, we often make fun of how idiotic people can be. The greatest gift provided by spending time in the service industry is a real appreciation of how to behave to get the most from a customer service provider, mostly because a sort of empathy occurs with the provider. Today, inspite of how I was feeling, I walked away. I wanted to lean across the desk and strangle the person I was dealing, but I took the high road and moved on.

Having to deal with government service people, I have finally realised that government doesn't provide service. I was always a little amused when one of my business professors delcared in class, staight faced, that he hoped none of us would ever work for government, as it would be a terrible loss. Now I understand.

Government isn't organised to provide service. Unfortunately, competition is the only motivator when it comes to the service industry. It is the only thing that breeds intelligent service. And except for the odd rare individual, government knows nothing about competition. Their hours, their staffing, none of it is actually based on providing the things we need.

The worst thing is that I never think like this. I like big government. I am horrendously left when I think about the 'safety net', but when I think about the service I get, when I need it, my only response is to outsource it all.

Is that wrong?